Thursday, September 30, 2010

This article discusses:
1. What do we know about professional development programs and their impact on teacher learning?
2. What are important directions and strategies for extending our knowledge?

Context:
1. Changes in classroom practices demanded by
the reform visions ultimately rely on teachers.
2. Changes of this magnitude will require a
great deal of learning on the part of teachers and will be difficult
to make without support and guidance.
3. Teacher professional development is essential to efforts to improve our schools.

Problem:
1. Professional development
currently available to teachers is woefully inadequate for the most part
2. Each year, schools, districts, and the federal government spend
millions, if not billions, of dollars on in-service seminars and
other forms of professional development that are fragmented, intellectually
superficial, and do not take into account what we
know about how teachers learn
3. Sykes (1996) characterized the inadequacy of
conventional professional development as "the most serious unsolved
problem for policy and practice in American education
today" (p. 465).
4. The premise of this article is that it is a “serious
unsolved problem” for educational research as well.
5. We are only beginning to learn, however,
about exactly what and how teachers learn from professional development,
or about the impact of teacher change on student
outcomes

A Situative Perspective on Teacher Learning and Professional Development
+ Borko uses a situative perspective to interpret existing research on teacher learning and identify issues for future investigation
+ Situative theorists conceptualize
learning as changes in participation in socially organized
activities, and individuals’ use of knowledge as an aspect of their
participation in social practices (e.g., Greeno, 2003; Lave &
Wenger, 1991).
+ Several scholars have argued that learning has
both individual and sociocultural features, and have characterized
the learning process as one of enculturation and construction
(e.g., Cobb, 1994; Driver et al., 1994).
+ From a situative perspective, teacher learning “is usefully understood
as a process of increasing participation in the practice
of teaching, and through this participation, a process of becoming
knowledgeable in and about teaching” (Adler, 2000, p. 37).
+ To understand teacher learning,
we must study it within these multiple contexts, taking into
account both the individual teacher-learners and the social systems
in which they are participants.

Key elements that make up any professional development system
• The professional development program;
• The teachers, who are the learners in the system;
• The facilitator, who guides teachers as they construct new knowledge and practices; and
• The context in which the professional development occurs.

Type of Research on PD
Phase 1 research activities focus on an individual professional
development program at a single site. Researchers typically study
the professional development program, teachers as learners, and
the relationships between these two elements of the system. The
facilitator and context remain unstudied.

In Phase 2, researchers
study a single professional development program enacted by more
than one facilitator at more than one site, exploring the relationships
among facilitators, the professional development program,
and teachers as learners.

Phase 1 research provides evidence that high-quality professional
development programs can help teachers deepen their
knowledge and transform their teaching.

To foster students’ conceptual understanding, teachers must
have rich and flexible knowledge of the subjects they teach.

To guide student thinking, teachers must also understand
how children’s ideas about a subject develop, and the connections
between their ideas and important ideas in the discipline
(Schifter & Fosnot, 1993).

A key reason for deepening teachers’ knowledge of subject
matter and student thinking is to improve classroom teaching.

Research using the individual teacher as the unit of analysis
also indicates that meaningful learning is a slow and uncertain
process for teachers, just as it is for students.
For example, it appears to be easier for teachers to incorporate
strategies for eliciting students’ thinking into their teaching
than to use what they hear from students to make instructional decisions
(Franke et al., 2001; Franke & Kazemi, 2001).

Grossman and colleagues’
(2001) insights about teacher community suggest a conceptual
explanation for these findings. They argued that we cannot expect
teachers to create a community of learners among students
if they do not have a parallel community to nourish their own
growth. The logic of this claim makes sense, but as a research
community we have yet to build an empirical base to support the
claim or to shed light on the mechanisms by which this relationship
works. [POSSIBLE RESEARCH TOPIC]

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE

A central tenet of situative perspectives is that the contexts and
activities in which people learn become a fundamental part of
what they learn (Greeno, Collins, & Resnick, 1996). This tenet
suggests that teachers’ own classrooms are powerful contexts for
their learning (Ball & Cohen, 1999; Putnam & Borko, 2000).
A number of
programs have successfully used artifacts such as instructional
plans and assignments, videotapes of lessons, and samples of student
work to bring teachers’ classrooms into the professional development
setting. Such records of practice enable teachers to
examine one another’s instructional strategies and student learning,
and to discuss ideas for improvement (Ball & Cohen, 1999;
Little, Gearhart, Curry, & Kafka, 2003).

It is difficult enough to create a professional development curriculum
for one’s own use. As LeFevre warns, “It is challenging
by another magnitude to design a curriculum for use by others”
(p. 252).

Next Steps for Professional Development
Design and Research
Researchers might investigate
whether professional development programs with demonstrated
effectiveness for elementary mathematics teachers can be adapted
to different subject areas and grade levels.

Phase 2 studies must
investigate the balances and tradeoffs between fidelity and adaptation,
and consider which elements of a program must be preserved
to ensure the integrity of its underlying goals and principles.

One mode, the paradigmatic or logico-scientific one, attempts to fulfill the ideal of a formal, mathematical system of description and explanation

The other is the narrative mode which leads to good stories, gripping drama, believable (though not necessarily "true") historical accounts.

Key ideas:

human mental activity depends for its full expression upon being linked to a cultural tool kit - a set of prosthetic devices, so to speak

narrative deals with the vicissitudes of human intentions.

Kenneth Burke argues that "'story stuff" involves characters in action with intentions or goals in settings using particular means, that drama is generated when there is an imbalance in the ratio of these constituents

Propp's argument is that in the folktale, character is a function of a highly constrained plot, the chief role of a character being to play out a plot role as hero, false hero, helper, villain, and so on.

Narrative speech acts must depend upon forms of discourse that recruit the reader's imagination-that enlist him in the "performance of meaning under the guidance of the text."

To be in the subjunctive mode is, then, to be trafficking in human possibilities rather than in settled certainties.

Todorov proposes that there are six simple transformations that transform the action of the verb from being a fait accompli to being psychologically in process, and as such contingent or subjunctive in our sense.

These transformations, simple or complex, " permits discourse to acquire a meaning without this meaning becoming pure information."

Iser remarks in The Art of Reading that readers have both a strategy and a repertoire that they bring to bear on a text.

As our readers read, as they begin to construct a virtual text of their own, it is as if they were embarking on a journey without maps -- and yet, they possess a srock of maps that might give hints, and besides, they know a lot about journeys and about mapmaking.

Bruner says that the great writer's gift to a reader is to make him a better writer

One of the hallmarks of the new science of learning is its emphasis on learning with understanding.

Humans are viewed as goal-directed agents who actively seek information.

New knowledge must be constructed from existing knowledge -- THEREFORE teachers need to pay attention to the incomplete understandings, the false beliefs, and the naive renditions of concepts that learners bring with them to a given subject

A common misconception regarding “constructivist” theories of knowing (that existing knowledge is used to build new knowledge) is that teachers should never tell students anything directly but, instead, should always allow them to construct knowledge for themselves. After people have first grappled with issues on their own, “teaching by telling” can work extremely well.

It is important to help people take control of their own learning. Since understanding is viewed as important, people must learn to recognize when they understand and when they need more information. What strategies might they use to assess whether they understand someone else’s meaning? What kinds of evidence do they need in order to believe particular claims? How can they build their own theories of phenomena and test them effectively? [metacognition]

Key Findings from Research on Learning and Learners

Students come to the classroom with preconceptions about how the world works. If their initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to grasp the new concepts and information that are taught, or they may learn them for purposes of a test but revert to their preconceptions outside the classroom.

To develop competence in an area of inquiry, students must: (a) have a deep foundation of factual knowledge, (b) understand facts and ideas in the context of a conceptual framework, and (c) organize knowledge in ways that facilitate retrieval and application.

A “metacognitive” approach to instruction can help students learn to take control of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoring their progress in achieving them.

Implications for Teaching

Teachers must draw out and work with the preexisting understandings that their students bring with them.

Teachers must teach some subject matter in depth, providing many examples in which the same concept is at work and providing a firm foundation of factual knowledge

The teaching of metacognitive skills should be integrated into the curriculum in a variety of subject areas.

Other interesting ideas

Learning is influenced in fundamental ways by the context in which it takes place. A community-centered approach requires the development of norms for the classroom and school, as well as connections to the outside world, that support core learning values

Critique of PD programs for teachers. Professional development programs for teachers, for example, frequently:

Are not learner centered. Rather than ask teachers where they need help, they are simply expected to attend prearranged workshops.

Are not knowledge centered. Teachers may simply be introduced to a new technique (like cooperative learning) without being given the opportunity to understand why, when, where, and how it might be valuable to them. Especially important is the need to integrate the structure of activities with the content of the curriculum that is taught.

Are not assessment centered. In order for teachers to change their practices, they need opportunities to try things out in their classrooms and then receive feedback. Most professional development opportunities do not provide such feedback. Moreover, they tend to focus on change in teaching practice as the goal, but they neglect to develop in teachers the capacity to judge successful transfer of the technique to the classroom or its effects on student achievement.

Are not community centered. Many professional development opportunities are conducted in isolation. Opportunities for continued contact and support as teachers incorporate new ideas into their teaching are limited, yet the rapid spread of Internet access provides a ready means of maintaining such contact if appropriately designed tools and services are available.

Summary:
+ Postmodemism's rejecting of the possibility of an objective stance has led some educators to begin treating scientific knowledge as merely a matter of elite consensus (Most scientists believe that ...).
+ Bereiter argues that objectivity is not an essential claim of science, but progress is.
+ Everything scientists do takes place within a framework that presupposes the advancement of knowledge as a historical fact and an attainable goal.
+ Progress is the foundation of all our scientific beliefs.
+ Scientific theories cannot be verified [to attain absolute certainty]; they can at most be falsified. Progress therefore arises from continual criticism and efforts to overcome criticisms by modifying or replacing theories.
+ Sometimes people with opposing views can engage in discourse that leads to a new understanding that everyone involved agrees is superior to their own previous understanding. This is the process of dialectic, in which thesis and antithesis give rise to a synthesis, which transcends the original contradictions.

What does it takes to make a discourse progressive?
1. A commitment to work toward common understanding satisfactory to all.
2. A commitment to frame questions and propositions in ways that allow evidence to be brought to bear on them.
3. A commitment to expand the body of collectively valid propositions.
4. A commitment to allow any belief to be subjected to criticism if it will advance the discourse.

Other Key Ideas:
If we regard the scientific method not as a set of rules of procedure or standards of judgment, but as a form of discourse involving certain strong commitments on the part of those who participate, then the issue of leaching the scientific method takes on quite a different aspect.

The question is not should students be taught to think in a scientific way but should they be expected to participate in a scientific kind of discourse?

We may think of science as a continuing discourse that went on before our time and that will continue after it.

Classroom discussions may be thought of as part of the larger ongoing discourse, not as preparation for it or as after-the-fact examination of the results of the larger discourse.

The role of textbooks and other authoritative expressions becomes less problematic if we accept the view of science as one gigantic discourse, which at any moment is represented by thousands of little discourses going on here and there, including those taking place in classrooms.

Bereiter supports a view of science education in which students are actually part of the scientific enterprise rather than onlookers or postulants.

Science is an unusually progressive kind of discourse and and science education is about finding ways to bring students into that discourse.

This chapter by Greeno et al. gives a good overview of behaviorist, cognitive, socio-cultural perspectives on knowing, learning and transfer, and the nature of motivation and engagement.

It compares and contrasts the views and assertions of three main theoretical frameworks (behaviorist, cognitive, socio-cultural) on key thematic issues and questions about cognition and learning.

The chapter also discusses how these three theoretical perspectives play out in

the design of learning environments

formulating curricula

constructing assessments

What is the relationship between these three perspectives? One possibility is that each theory accounts for different types of learning and knowing. Another is that these theories are not mutually exclusive. Sometimes they can support and interact with one another.

It is the view Greeno et al. that the role of theories of cognition and learning is not to prescribe a set of practices that should be followed, but rather to assist in clarifying alternative practices.

In the conclusion, they say, "Reforming practices requires the transformation of people's understanding of principles that are assumed - perhaps implicitly - in the practices, and that theoretically oriented research can assist in identifying these principles and suggest ways of accomplishing the transformations."

This reading led me to reflect about my own experience of learning how to play tennis. Initially, it was a lot of trial and error until I figured out how to hit the ball, serve, hot backhands, lob volley, etc. This seemed like behaviorist learning. When I started taking classes and getting private lessons, my tennis improved dramatically. In addition to playing more, it was helpful to be aware of some of the theories and concepts around things like top spring, transfer of momentum, strategy, etc. This more cognitive approach helped my game tremendously. But it still took a lot of drill and practice, development of "muscle memory." My tennis game also improved as I played with different people and joined a local tennis club. The socio-cultural aspect of tennis also supported my learning, and provided motivation to improve.

To me, the question is not which theory of cognition and learning is "correct" or "most true" but rather when do they apply and how. In addition, these theories may have great explanatory value - i.e., help us understand why educational practice worked (or did not work) with a particular set of learners in a certain context.

Competing Metaphors and Conceptions of the Developing Child
1. Piaget - "epistemic child":the child seeking knowl edge of how the world is structured and, in the process, constructing the structure of his own mind.
2. Vygotsky - "cultural historical child": this child, unlike the epistemic child, is thoroughly social, situated
in a specific historical context and within a culture that might or
might not nurture the mind through facilitative processes of
interpersonal scaffolding.
3. The very young are "little scientists" or "child as theorists": children are said to be born with theories that guide their knowledge
gathering but that the theories are subject to revision in light of new data

Problems with these models:
1. they do not account for biology or culture
2. doesn't acknowledge outside influences
3. children are not machines nor do they think like adults

Learning is viewed as ways in which the child comes to be conscious of more and more sources of meaning and to discriminate among them. Eventually, children accept things as meaningful that they would not have at an earlier point in development.

Memory is the conservation, organization and transformation of meaning. Children learn how conserve, organize and transform experiences that have meaning and significant in increasingly complex ways.

We are driven by two major motivations: to make sense and to make relationships. Gathering meaning from experience helps us with these two goals.

What we find as meaningful is affected by many things including our surroundings, culture, past experiences.

Nelson proposes a hybrid mind framework of different levels of consciousness. It differs from Piaget's stage theory in that all levels, once achieved, coexist. In stage theory, one doesn't revert to earlier levels once later levels are achieved.

One nice thing about Nelson's hybrid mind theory is that it easily incorporates other theories as mechanisms or process to explain what is going on at any given level.

Summary:
Humans have mastered several modes of cultural transmission of knowledge, practices, ideas, etc., which enables cumulative cultural evolution.
It supports creative invention and progress by allowing humans to build upon the work of others, and faithful social transmission so that useful, helpful, or beautiful ideas are preserved.

There are 3 types of social learning:
1. imitative
2. instructed
3. collaborative

Key Points or Ideas:

Social learning enables faithful social transmission. It also enables multiple individuals ro create something together that no one individual could have created alone.

Tomasello see the creation of material, symbolic and institutional artifacts with accumulated histories as unique features of human cognition.

Tomasello asserts that the evidence that human beings have species-unique modes of cultural transmission is overwhelming

Human beings are able to pool their cognitive resources in ways that other animal species are not

Cumulative cultural evolution is the best explanation for many of human beings' most impressive cognitive achievements

Tomasello's central argument in this chapter and the book is that it is these processes of cultural transmission, not any specialized biological adaptations directly, that have done the actual work in creating many, if not all, of the most distinctive and important cognitive products and processes of the species Homo sapiens.

It's about how teaching metacognitive skills can increase students'
understanding and help them become better problem solvers. I liked that this
article discusses strategies and examples of how to teach metacognitive skills.What is it?
1. How accurate are you at describing your own thinking?
2. Control or self-regulation
3. Beliefs and intuitions

Why is it important?
1. Students need good study skills, using what you know efficiently, managing time
2. Students with metacognitive skills will learn more, have greater & deeper conceptual understanding, are generally better problem solvers, and will likely enjoy learning more.

What to do about? How do you teach metacognitive skills?
1. Use video tapes
2. Teacher as role model for metacognitive behavior
3. Whole class discussions of problems with teacher serving as "control"
4. Problem solving in small groups

Questions that he used to prompt student thinking and metacognition:
What exactly are you doing?
Why are you doing it?
How does it help you?
Is this likely to be productive?